Mass Effect 3: Remembrance
by BlueSpartan107
Summary: Pre-ME3 fan story. One month before the reaper invasion, Zach Shepard, the first human spectre and survivor of Akuze, is going to visit an old friend in the hospital. They then talk about the reapers, the events that unfolded at the Alpha Relay, and the woman Shepard fell in love with. Meanwhile, Professor Mordin Solus is visited by a strange person who has ties to Shepard.


Mass Effect 3: Remembrance

Zach pulled out his omni-tool. Fifteen hundred hours pacific time. The train he was on was pulling into the station. From there, it was a ten minute walk to the Roth Medical Center in Vancouver, where Zach's old friend, Father Callahan, was supposed to be in for surgery. However, despite all of the medical breakthroughs humanity has made since finding the mass relays, there still wasn't a permanent cure for cancer. He also heard that there were complications with the surgery he underwent, so he may not have much time left before the inevitable happened.

It was such a coincidence he was in Vancouver at the same time Zach's trial was taking place.

"So, Shepard, who are we going to see again?" Zach heard James speak from behind him. He had only known the man for a short time, as he was hired to be his bodyguard during his time under investigation, and he knew James was a good soldier. Other than that, the man was a mystery to him.

"A man by the name of Father Callahan. He was an old friend of mine during my childhood on Earth. He helped me sign up for the Alliance when I came of age."

"A priest helped you sign up for the Alliance? That's pretty loco, sir."

"Well, he was the closest thing to a father I had, growing up on the streets of Earth with no parents. He did all of the things a real father would do. He fed and clothed me, and taught me how to be a good person, despite my affiliation with the Tenth Street Reds. He's a good man."

"Did he teach you to read and write, too?"

"No. A friend of mine taught me those things." Zach stopped for a second, remembering the events of Akuze. Despite the fact he got over the pain of those memories after his reanimation, he still didn't like talking or thinking about it. "She's dead now."

"I understand." James and Zach didn't speak again until they reached the hospital and headed through the front door to the reception desk. Behind it, a middle-aged woman was busy typing on the terminal in front of her. She looked up to see two men approaching her. One man had dark blue eyes and hair as golden as a lion's mane, with the outline of a beard recently trimmed. The other man had darker skin, hair and eyes, with more muscles on his body, and a few scars on his face.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"I'm here to see a patient of yours. Father Callahan." The first man spoke to her.

"What's your relationship with Mr. Callahan?"

"I'm an old friend of his."

"Were you both part of his church when you were younger?"

"Nah, I never met the guy." The other guy spoke. "I'm just here because he wants to be here."

"I see." The woman typed a few buttons on the holographic keyboard. "Father Callahan is in room 13B. It's just down the hall. However, it probably won't be long before he passes. There were severe complications during surgery."

"I'd like to see him, regardless." The first man spoke to her again. She looked into the man's blue eyes, and understood this man was losing another friend important to him. Those that work at the hospital had to have an eye for spotting the emotions of both patients and visitors alike. And she saw this man's sadness was far worse than anyone else that had walked through that front door, as if he's seen the death of many good people in his life. Now he was about to lose another.

"Come with me." She got up from her chair and led the two men to room 13B. Zach could see Callahan laying on the bed, multiple machines whirring to keep the old man alive. The nurse cleared her throat before speaking again. "You may only have a short time before his body gives in. Take your time to say goodbye."

"Thank you." Zach replied as the nurse departed back to her desk. "James, do you mind waiting outside for a bit? This is more of a personal matter to me."

"You got it, Shepard." Zach nodded his thanks before walking through the mechanical sliding doors. When the doors had closed behind him, Callahan had turned his head to face him. When he opened his eyes, he could not believe the sight before him.

"Shepard?" The old man's voice shook as he spoke.

"I'm here, father."

"Are you here to take me up to the gates of heaven?"

Zach chuckled. "No. I'm still alive. I couldn't escort you up even if I wanted to."

"You're... alive?" Callahan spoke in shock. "But the news said you died almost three years ago?!"

"And you didn't see the news report months ago when Ms. Al-Gelani tried to get another interview with me?"

"Too busy doing my job: reminding people propaganda is all lies." They laughed at that before Father Callahan took a breath. "So how did you survive? Where have you been all this time?"

"When my ship was destroyed, I ended up spaced. My friend Liara recovered my body, and a pro-human splinter group named Cerberus rebuilt and revived me. They wanted me to investigate attacks on human colonies. I discovered the Collectors were behind the abductions: worse, they were once the protheans before the reapers repurposed them to suit their needs."

"The reapers? You mean the ship you destroyed years ago? The news said you called it Sovereign, and that it was trying to bring the rest of the reapers back from dark space."

"Yes. The Collectors were under the control of a reaper that called itself Harbinger. It was ordering them to construct a human reaper using the colonists' essence to fuel the demonic machine. I destroyed it, along with the Collector base, and cut ties with Cerberus. Now the reapers are coming back from dark space, and if we're not ready, the chapter of Revelation may come true."

Callahan went silent for almost a minute. "Lord have mercy on us."

"The reapers are not invincible, however, as I had proved with Sovereign three years ago. But we need an effective way that can kill all of the reapers." Zach looked down at the ground. "I just hope my actions months ago bought us enough time."

Callahan noticed the uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding Shepard. "That sounds like a confession." He coughed.

Zach pulled up a chair next to Callahan's bed. "Will you hear my confessions, one last time?"

The old man nodded his head. "What sins do you carry on your soul?"

"Before I came back to Earth, I was called by Admiral Hackett to help rescue a deep-cover operative in batarian space, who was investigating rumors of a reaper artifact in the system. When I found her, she showed me the artifact, and said it was to speak of when the reapers reached the system. Originally, her plan was to slam the asteroid the artifact was on into the mass relay and destroy it before the reapers arrived."

"Aren't mass relays indestructible?"

"No. Enough force or power can damage the relays. But the destruction of a relay could destroy an entire system in the process. Before I could activate the thrusters to guide the asteroid to its target, Kenson and her team betrayed me; indoctrinated due to not taking precautions towards the artifact, turning them into Harbinger's puppets. They sedated me for two days, and I had to rush through many guards to reach the project, killing the indoctrinated where they stood. I tried to warn the colony nearby to evacuate before the relay was hit, but there was nothing I could do. Time ran out before the relay was destroyed, preventing the reaper invasion a little longer."

Callahan let the news sink in before asking. "How many lives were lost?"

"Over three-hundred thousand colonists."

"And you feel guilty that they're dead?"

"Yes. That's why I'm back on Earth. The Alliance had to put me under lockdown to keep the batarians off of me while we prepare for the Reapers' inevitable arrival."

"Sometimes the right choice isn't always the easiest. I believe you when you say you tried your hardest to save the colonists, and that the Reapers are coming. It may be God's purpose to test you in fire with challenges no mortal creature could endure."

"I know. But I don't know if I'm ready for all of those choices."

They were quiet for a bit before Callahan broke the silence. "Is there something else you wish to tell me?"

"Yes. I've found someone who means a lot to me, and she was among my crew for a long time."

"So you're finally over everything that happened on-"

"Akuze? Yeah. For six years, my dreams had been haunted by the memory of Jessica dying in my arms. Those nightmares finally ended when I realized my feelings for the particular member of the crew that caught my eye."

"So who was it? The Alliance soldier from Eden Prime?"

Zach shot his eyes up in anger. "Ashley? No. She left me insulted after I saved her life _again_ when the Collectors attacked Horizon. She decided to say she loved me the same time she stabbed me in the back because I was obligated to work for the monsters responsible for Akuze! And I never even felt that way towards her; never asked her out because I followed Alliance regulations very seriously. And she didn't even have the guts to say anything before I died."

"I'm sorry, Shepard. I had no idea."

"I know. Sorry I snapped at you like that."

"It's okay. Just don't give this old man a heart attack until _after_ I find out who's special to you. So is it the asari that joined your crew?"

"Liara? No. We're just friends."

"Then who?"

Zach was quiet for a second before he spoke again. "It was Tali."

"The quarian crew member you allowed onto your ship?"

"The same."

"But she's an alien that doesn't share the same DNA as you do. Her kind possesses weak immune systems, and they are seen as only scavengers and thieves. Why would you be with someone like _her_?!" The seriousness in Callahan's voice made Zach ball his fists up, and the heart monitor's tuning quickened its pace as Callahan's heart beat faster.

"Because she's _nothing_ like what the galaxy pictures the quarians!" The room went silent for almost a second; the pace of the heart monitor slowing down the only sound heard. "She's the most selfless person I have ever met, and she has given me a lot over the past three years. She gave me the data that proved Saren's guilt to the council, she fought alongside me when I fought with and against Cerberus. We've saved each other from certain death many times over, and when her own people threatened her well-being, I was there for her."

Zach stopped to take a breath. "Aboard one of the quarians' many ships, she found her father dead on the floor, all because of the sacrifices he was making to give his daughter a house on their home world, Rannoch. Yet he never showed any sign he cared about his daughter when she needed him most: in the present. I took her arm, brought her up from the floor where she was crying, and hugged her. It was then I realized I would give her anything to make her happy. When we found that her father was bringing geth back online for his experiments, Tali begged me not to hand the evidence of his crimes over to their admirals. I never gave them the evidence. Instead, I spoke up, saying that trying her for a pointless crime was instead a distraction from their argument on whether or not the admirals should fight the geth to retake Rannoch or colonize a habitable world that they could adapt to. Nobody aboard the flotilla cared about her... except me."

Zach saw the look on Callahan's face turn from anger to sadness. "Her life has been like mine. Her species is isolated because of their mistakes. They've been hated by every other species in the galaxy because of simple bigotry. Her own people have given their lives to save hers because the work she did bettered their fleet. We've both lost so much, and we've gained things because our friendship has always been pushing towards this."

He got up out of his chair and walked towards the window. "On the night we were to face the Collectors, she came to my room because we agreed to be together. She had minimized the risks by taking antibiotics and herbal supplements to bolster her immune system. And when I took off her mask; when I finally saw her face... I have never seen something more beautiful in my entire life." He turned away from the window and faced Callahan. "I've never seen another alien that looked so... human. The asari don't even come close to the beauty of Tali's face."

"Do you love her?" Callahan uttered under raspy breaths, indicating he didn't have much time left.

"If I could give her a house on Rannoch, with her species working together with the geth again, I would do it. There's nothing I wouldn't do for her. She deserves better than the life she endures away from me." He walked back to his chair. "To say I love her would be only the start of what I feel for her."

"Then... I'm sorry for the way I reacted. I really am happy you found someone that gives your mind rest. Just... make sure that if you love her as much as you claim, you'll give her the impossible when the time is right, even when no person, force, or fact says it can be done. It's a shame I'll never meet her." He slowly exhaled his last breath, but not before uttering those last few words that shook Zach's core.

"Make her proud,.. my son." And then the old man was dead.

"Father?" He saw the man's eyes were closed, and the machines were no longer running; a possible program command that turned off the machines when there was no way to revive the patient. "Goodbye, father. Find rest in the realms beyond." He left the hospital building with James behind him, holding in his tears of sadness for until he was alone in his room at the Vancouver Alliance HQ.

Back on Sur'Kesh, Professor Mordin Solus had returned to STG to assist with a group of female krogan that survived Maelon's experiments on Tuchunka. At least half a dozen had survived treatment and had fled Clan Weyrloc's hospital base when Shepard, Tali, and Mordin had intervened. Now there were only two survivors, and Mordin was working day and night to stabalize their condition before they ended up dying from weakened immune systems; a side effect of Maelon's cure.

Mordin pointed his omni-tool straight at the cloaked figure to his left.

"Please remove tactical cloak before this meeting becomes more 'explosive' than you expected."

"How'd you know?" The man said as he uncloaked. Mordin immediately pinned him down as likely a Scotsman from his accent.

"Not an undergraduate. I heard your footsteps ten feet before you reached me. Cloaking system extremely old. Original design didn't come with sound dampeners." Mordin stopped typing on the keypad in front of him and turned to face the man, lowering his omni-tool in the process. "Hm. Your armor's also fashionably old. Mercenary designed by Ariake Technologies. Breather attached to helmet with tinted visor to cover identity. Marks on your armor indicate corrosion by acid substance. Likely thresher maw venom."

"Wow. You're good." The man said in a seemingly playful tone. "I was actually on Akuze a few years back." He shuddered. "Nasty worms spitting all over my suit. Pretty blood trails of my team mates. Jess's body looking all nice and neat from all the effort Shepard put into making her body look presentable after venom burns her armor and organs. Such a pretty girl laying dead in the grass."

Mordin listened intently to the man's ramblings and placed the puzzle together. "Jess? Akuze? No other known survivors but Shepard. Corrosion on armor states nine years since application of venom. Weapons on hip and left shoulder appear to still use weapon-cooling technology. Only one person knew Shepard or his friends that wore red armor." He breathed in through his nostrils. "Is your name Red?"

"Is your name Mordin?"

"Precisely."

"Then yes, my name's Red."

"Suspicious. No other known survivors found. All but one body was eaten by the thresher maws."

"Yeah. I fell off a cliff and was found by my new boss. Or is he now my old boss? Because I've been working for him for years now. Or has it been months? Time gets funny when I'm with him. For example, my last job I had to do for him was somewhere in the future where humans still use ammunition and a war between superhumans and demons was ensuing. And they thought I was crazy! How is it my fault I didn't know they've never seen a thresher maw in their reality?! It would've been nice if The Stranger had given me a heads-up about that reality, but **no-o-o-o**! Instead, I get a bunch of confused looks and this other Shepard asking me too many questions!"

"What are you talking about?" One of the females asked.

"I'm just rambling on about how my boss, The Stranger, can't seem to give me a heads up on anything, yet he'll give me cookies and sing along to Green Day with me when I come back from whatever job he gives me."

Mordin was not amused. "Hm. Perhaps mental instability from experience on Akuze. Blunt force trauma to the cranium from his fall could cause severe brain damage. Am considering knocking him out for safety of his own being."

"Finally! Something The Stranger warned me about. Look, we both don't have all day, so why don't you take this," Red pulled out a box as if from thin air. "and I'll leave you to work on it."

"What is it?"

"My boss says it's a gift for Shepard, but you need to finish it to ensure it works properly."

"Why me? Anybody could easily finish what your 'boss' started."

"No he said it had to be you. Someone else might've gotten it wrong."

"But what is it?"

"Something to help Shepard achieve the impossible. You should know what my boss is refering to." The man then turned invisible and started walking away. "Good luck with the science!" He said goodbye to the female krogan, and left, humming what Mordin could only imagine was this 'Green Day' the man refered to.

"What was that all about?" The other female krogan asked.

"Unclear. Must examine box's contents to ensure what Red said is possible."

"So you know what that man meant when he said it would help Shepard achieve the impossible?"

"Possibly." Mordin opened the box and found a small device, along with an OSD, which he popped into the terminal. What he saw gave him a look of surprise, and he initially got to work to solve this new puzzle while the results of his other tests cooked overnight.


End file.
